@wheelsaustralia 125
Haval
5yr/100,000km
haval.com.auSpark LeadsthesmallHoldenfightback
Punchy engine; classy dynamics; Apple Carplay/Android Auto standard
Not as cheap as some, but at least this is offset with features; no manual on top-spec LT
The Pick: A far more polished car than the larger Barina, and surprisingly fun to drive
LS $13,990 L4 1.4 73 124 M5 — — — 5.2 91 44 F
LS $15,690 L4 1.4 73 128 C 990 10.8 17.7 5.5 91 44 07/16 F
LT $18,990 L4 1.4 73 128 C — — — 5.5 91 45 F
Holden
3yr/100,000km
holden.com.auPrice
Eng
type
Eng
size Power Torque Trans.
Kerb
weight
0-100
km/h
0-400
metres
Fuel
cons.RON
Resale
%
Issue
tested Drive
Barina Mucholderthanitlooks
Handsome nose; standard rear camera; decent handling; torquey LS manual
Ancient 1.6 way beyond retirement age; uncomfortable seats; scratchy plastics
The Pick:LSmanual–it’sthecheapest,best-ridingspecwithapleasantgearchange
LS $14,990 L4 1.6 85 155 M5 1229 — — — 91 42 F
LS $17,190L4 1.685155A61256— ——9142 F
LT $20,390L4 1.685155A61256— ——9144 F
Astra Deserving of popularity
Space and comfort; infotainment interface; quality and refinement; grunt of 1.6 turbo
Tall gearing hurts driveability in 1.4; sedan’s downmarket interior; 18s affect ride quality
The Pick:SkipthesedanandheadfortheRShatchwiththebestengineanddecentgear
LS sedan $20,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 M6 1275 — — 5.8 95 50 F
LS sedan $21,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 1283 — — 6.1 95 50 F
Rhatch $21,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 M6 1283 7.8 — 5.5 95 50 F
Rhatch $22,490 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 13048.0 —5.5955001/17F
LS+ sedan $22,740 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 1283 — — 6.1 95 50 F
LS+ Sportwagon $25,740 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 — — — 5.9 95 50 F
LT sedan $25,790 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 1294 — — 6.1 95 52 F
RS hatch $26,240 L4T 1.6 147 300 M6 1325 6.6 — 6.1 95 52 F
RS hatch $27,240 L4T 1.6 147 300 A6 1344 6.6 — 6.1 95 52 09/17 F
LTZ sedan $29,790 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 1318 — — 6.1 95 52 08/17 F
LT Sportwagon $29,940 L4T 1.4 110 240 A6 — — — 5.9 95 50 F
RS-V hatch $30,740 L4T 1.6 147 300 M6 1344 6.6 — 6.1 95 52 F
RS-V hatch $31,740 L4T 1.6 147 300 A6 1363 7. 2 — 5.9 95 52 09/17 F
ZB CommodoreAussie gone abroad, sans bad behaviour
Turbo-petrol four is a ripper; excellent rear-seat packaging; handling of all variants
V6 lacks off-the-mark shove; monochromatic interiors; insipid liftback styling
The Pick:RS Sportwagon offers the excellent 2.0-litre turbo petrol plus wagon practicality
LT $33,690 L4T 2.0 191 350 A9 1515 — — 7.4 95 36 F
LT $36,690 L4TD 2.0 125 400 A8 1593 — — 5.6 D 36 F
LT Sportwagon $35,890 L4T 2.0 191 350 A9 1543 — — 7.7 95 36 F
LT Sportwagon $38,890 L4TD 2.0 210 400 A8 1617 — — 5.7 D 36 F
RS $37,290 L4T 2.0 191 350 A9 1534 — — 7.6 95 36 F
RS Sportwagon $39,490 L4T 2.0 191 350 A9 1569 — — 7.9 95 36 F
RS V6 $40,790 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1672 — — 8.9 91 37 A
RS-V $46,990 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1676 — — 8.9 91 38 A
RS-V Sportwagon $49,190 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1705 — — 9.1 91 37 A
VXR $55,990 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1737 6.2 14.48.9 91 38 03/18 A
Calais $40,990 L4T 2.0 191 350 A9 1535 — — 7.6 95 40 F
Calais $43,990 L4TD 2.0 210 400 A8 1613 — — 5.8 D 40 F
Calais Tourer $45,990 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1715 — — 9.1 91 41 F
Calais V $51,990 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1726 — — 9.1 91 41 A
Calais V Tourer $53,990 V6 3.6 235 381 A9 1772 — — 9.1 91 41 A
Trax Baby rhinoplasty
Fresh nose sharpens looks; steering and handling; excellent auto; value for money
1.8 manual is awful; dud ride even on LS; sub-par cabin quality; hard seats; LTZ’s vinyl
The Pick:A Mazda CX-3 or Toyota C-HR by miles, although the LS auto is acceptable
LS $23,990 L4 1.8 103 178 M5 1371 — — 7.0 91 47 F
LS $26,490 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 1376 — — 6.9 95 48 F
LT $28,890 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 1390 — — 6.9 95 48 F
LTZ $30,490 L4T 1.4 103 200 A6 1390 9.6 16.96.9 95 48 05/17 F
Equinox Space and features
Surprising performance; slick nine-speed auto; generous rear seat space; dynamics
Hard cabin plastics; dowdy styling; obstructive centre console; clumsy auto shifter
The Pick:LT2.0-litreisasweetspotbutthe1.5petrolLS+providesplentyforthemoney
LS $27,990 L4T 1.5 127 275 M6 1526 — — 6.9 91 52 01/18 F
LS $29,990 L4T 1.5 127 275 A6 1514 — — 6.9 91 52 F
LS+ $32,990 L4T 1.5 127 275 A6 1514 — — 6.9 91 53 F
LS $35,990 L4TD 1.5 100 320 A6 1593 — — 5.6 D 52 F
LT $ 3 6 ,9 9 0 L4T 2. 0 1 8 8 3 5 3 A9 1 5 8 5 7. 3 — 8. 2 9 1 5 3 0 1/ 1 8 F
LTZ $39,990 L4T 2.0 188 353 A9 1618 7.3 — 8.2 91 54 F
LT $39,990 L4TD 1.5 100 320 A6 1602 — — 5.6 D 53 F
LTZ $44,290 L4T 2.0 188 353 A9 1695 7.3 — 8.4 91 54 YB/17 A
LTZ-V $46,290 L4T 2.0 188 353 A9 1732 7.3 — 8.4 91 55 01/18 A
LT Z $ 47, 2 9 0 L4T D 1. 5 1 0 0 3 20 A6 1 741 — — 5 .7 D 5 4 A
LT Z-V $ 49, 2 9 0 L4TD 1. 5 1 0 0 3 20 A6 1 7 78 — — 5 .9 D 55 At
Captiva Ready for its retirement, not yours
Seven seats standard across the range; sharp pricing; great standard connectivity
Noisy diesel; thrashy V6; poor ride; flabby steering; hard seats; crap cabin plastics
The Pick:None:Holden’snewEquinoxandforthcomingAcadiaSUVsarevastlysuperior
LS $30,490 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1762 — — 9.5 91 48 F
LS $33,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1873 — — 8.1 D 48 F
Active $33,490 L4 2.4 123 230 A6 1776 — — 9.7 91 48 F
LT $37,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1844 8.9 16.510.1 91 49 10/16 A
LT $38,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1974 — — 8.1 D 49 A
LTZ $40,490 V6 3.0 190 288 A6 1934 — — 10.1 91 49 A
LTZ $41,490 L4TD 2.2 135 400 A6 1984 — — 8.1 D 49 A
Trailblazer Toughasoldboots
Ruggedandcapableoff-roader;solidvalue; torquey engine; progressive steering
More 4x4 than car; no steering reach adjustment; middle-row seats don’t slide
The Pick: The LT delivers strong off-road ability for less than $50,000
LT $47,990 L4TD 2.8 147 500 A6 2194 — — 8.6 D 53 A
LTZ $52,490 L4TD 2.8 147 500 A6 2203 — — 8.6 D 53 APrice
Eng
type
Eng
size Power Torque Trans.
Kerb
weight
0-100
km/h
0-400
metres
Fuel
cons.RON
Resale
%
Issue
tested DriveH2 Cheap,butisitcheerful?
Entry point for a new Chinese brand doesn’t look too bad on paper, engine included
Drinks premium unleaded; AWD models manual-only; same name as a huge Hummer
The Pick: Instinct says stick with Mazda CX-3 or Honda HR-V, and it’s justified
Premium 2WD $23,990 L4T 1.5 110 210 M6 1529 — — 8.2 95 43 F
Premium 2WD $23,990 L4T 1.5 110 210 A6 — — — 9.0 95 43 F
Premium 4WD $26,490 L4T 1.5 110 210 M6 1609 — — 8.5 95 43 A
Luxury 2WD $25,990 L4T 1.5 110 210 M6 1529 — — 8.2 95 43 F
Luxury 2WD $35,990 L4T 1.5 110 210 A6 — — — 9.0 95 44 03/16 F
Luxury 4WD $28,490 L4T 1.5 110 210 M6 1608 — — 8.5 95 44 A
H6 Six and out
Roomy interior; sprightly 2.0 turbo; Range Rover Evoque-esque styling; warranty
Choppy ride; dire handling; laggy and thumpy dual-clutch; judicious ESC intervention
The Pick: A total engineering and calibration rethink, which won’t happen overnight
Premium $29,990 L4T 2.0 145 315 A6 1715 10.0 17.2 9.8 95 50 06/17 F
Lux $33,990 L4T 2.0 145 315 A6 — — — 9.8 95 52 F
H8 Size and presence
Decent cabin presentation complete with Aussie leather; looks quite handsome
Only five seats; heavy and thirsty; patchy track record of other Chinese brands here
The Pick: A lot of money for an unknown – we’d be looking at a Kia Sorento
Premium 2WD $38,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2051 — — 12.2 95 49 R
Premium 4WD $41,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2128 — — 12.2 95 50 A
Luxury 4WD $44,990 L4T 2.0 160 324 A6 2128 — — 12.2 95 50 03/16 A
H9 China’s serious off-roader
ZF gearbox with dual-range transfer case for decent off-road ability; seven seats
It looks old-school Chinese, with an old-school separate chassis and sub-par dynamics
The Pick: If you must go there, grab an H9 Premium – it’s cheaper
Premium $41,990 L4T 2.0 180 350 A8 2206 — — 10.5 95 52 A
Luxury $46,990* L4T 2.0 180 350 A8 2236 — — 10.5 95 52 A
Escape Kuga does a runner
Handling and steering; room; more sensible line-up; performance from 2.0-litre EcoBoost
Not as frugal as some rivals and prefers premium unleaded; average rear seat
The Pick: The front-drive Trend is great value and one of the better-performing SUVs
Ambiente FWD $28,490 L3T 1.5 110 240 M6 1559 — — 6.3 95 54 F
Ambiente FWD $29,990 L4T 1.5 134 240 A6 1590 — — 7. 2 95 5 4 F
Ambiente AWD $32,990 L4T 1.5 134 240 A6 1668 — — 7. 5 95 5 6 A
Trend FWD $32,990 L4T 1.5 134 240 A6 1607 9.6 16.8 7.5 95 56 06/17 F
Trend AWD $35,990 L4T 2.0 178 345 A6 1719 — — 8.6 95 56 A
Trend TDCi $38,490 L4TD 2.0 132 400 S6 1746 — — 5.5 D 57 A
Titanium $44,990 L4T 2.0 178 345 A6 1751 ——8.6 95 58 A
Titanium $47,490 L4TD 2.0 132 400 S6 1779 ——5.5 D 58 A
Everest Ranger-based SUV chases Prado
Off-road dynamics and braking ability; cabin refinement; clever tech; excellent ESC
Utilitarian dash; separate-chassis antiquity, with all its comfort and packaging limitations
The Pick: Titanium too exxy and Ambiente skinnily equipped, so best stick with the Trend
Ambiente 5-seat $47,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2239 — — 8.4 D 56 R
Ambiente 7-seat $48,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2239 — — 8.4 D 56 R
Ambiente 5-seat $52,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2343 — — 8.5 D 57 02/16 A
Ambiente 7-seat $53,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2343 — — 8.5 D 57 A
Trend $53,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2305 — — 8.4 D 57 R
Trend $58,990 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2407 11.6 18.0 8.5 D 58 02/16 A
Titanium $74,701 L5TD 3.2 143 470 A6 2494 — — 8.5 D 58 09/15 A
DEALER DIRECTORY
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58 Nepean Highway, Mentone 3194
Sales: 03 9581 2525 DL:5199POWERED BY
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